Naruto Done My Way
by Killer Words
Summary: As a child I loved Naruto, but as an adult I see so much wrong with it. As a believer of backing up your words, I have come up with this story as my attempt to do the Naruto world justice. The only big changes I will be making are that Naruto will take being a Ninja seriously, and he will have and use his intelligence. Watch how those small changes effect the world around him. R


Hello and welcome to the first chapter of Naruto Done My Way. Now as the title suggests I have been less than happy with the original story thus far. There are too many inconsistencies or things that don't make sense when put with other facts. Like Naruto has lived on his own since six to eight years old, yet he lets his food spoil? Or the night he learns of the fox no one makes mention of it till he tries to learn summoning, no one sat him down to tell him what this means and how it affects things. For someone who lives on their own, especially if they are a pariah, they would have to have a better understanding of how people feel about him, at least in the negative sense. And he never learned more than 10 Jutsu up to the current manga, and I'm not counting variants, when his first teacher was famous for copying over 1000 Jutsu, what the hell? And no one that dense would be able to survive on their own, especially if basic math can escape him, how will he pay rent or bills? So I am going to make him smarter, not Shikamaru smart, but competent smart. And everything that will entail. I will stick as close to Cannon as possible with the changes in place, but it will deviate more as the story progresses. Also I'm not sure about the pairings yet, so if you send me a review with a reason based on what has happened in the story so far, or what could happen with how the story is going, I'll consider it. Also I will be doing this in anime style, i.e. English translations of Jutsu, and names where they apply (Nine-Tails yes Fire Shadow no, Great Breakthrough yes, One Thousand Birds no) Now on with the show.

/

Chapter 1: The Beginning of a Legend

"Twelve years ago," an aged and wizened voice began, "the Nine-Tailed Fox attacked the Village Hidden in the Leaves. This entity of malice appeared and began to wreck death and destruction on the village. Many brave Shinobi gave their lives holding off the beast. In the end the leader of the village, the Fourth Hokage, met the fox in battle. Strong as he was, no mortal man could kill one of the Tailed Beasts, so he summoned the power of the God of Death to seal away the beast inside of a new born child. That child's name is…"

/

Naruto Uzumaki stood on top of the Hokage Monument, more specifically the Fourth's head. The Fourth was his hero, being the strongest of the Hokage to date. Sure The Old Man Third could be considered that as well, being known both as The Professor and The God of Shinobi, but he never fought a Tailed Beast and won, even if it cost the Fourth his life.

Naruto stood proud on his heroes head at a height of four feet two inches, one of the tallest of his class. He wore a set of blue Shinobi pants and sandals, with a kunai and shuriken holder on each leg. On his chest he wore a plain dark blue tee shirt that had a red swirl on the back, and a supply pouch on the small of his back. His spiky blonde hair was held back by a set of goggles that would cover his bright blue eyes; a birthday gift, his first actually, though he wasn't sure who gave it to him. Below his eyes were his birthmarks; three whiskers on each cheek. His outfit gave him a fairly plain appearance, save his face, but then again Shinobi weren't supposed to stick out, and wearing all black would stand out during the day, while make him a silhouette at night.

He looked over the village that he had sworn to protect, and reflected on his life so far, causing a grimace to appear on his face. Those were not pleasant memories. As far back as he could remember he was never the most liked person in the village, to no fault of his own he was told, and had to live with the apathy and sometimes anger that the villagers directed his way. He wasn't attacked, well not since his eight birthday, but he was treated almost like a ghost; with only so many people acknowledging his existence.

Now some might question if that was the kind of treatment that he received why would he swear to protect them? That answer is twofold; one is that the few people that don't treat him like that also live here, and they mean the world to young Naruto. The other is because of something Sarutobi Hiruzen, or known better by Naruto as Old Man Third, told him after he awoke on October 11th, the day after his eighth birthday.

_Flashback Start_

_The early morning sunlight cut through the darkness of the hospital room that held t__w__o visible occupants; an old man in a set of white robes and a recently turned eight year old boy with bright blonde hair and whisker marks on his cheeks, three on each. The boy was the one currently in the hospital bed, having been attacked yesterday on his birthday no less. The perpetrators were all brought to justice, Sarutobi made sure of that. They were only a bunch of drunken civilians, thank god._

'I can only imagine what would have happened if Shinobi had been in that mob_' the old man thought with a slight shudder. After all they were trained killers, with powers that could boggle the mind. He doubt there would have even been a body left._

_His musing was cut short when the blonde boy began to stir, a surprise considering he should have been unconscious for at least a day more after last night. But then again he did always heal remarkably quickly; he always surprised the medics and doctors here. Naruto looked at him with eyes he had only seen in times of war, eyes of a man who had lost everything and was ready to give up. Eyes that didn't belong on a child. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts he missed what was said to him._

"_I'm sorry my boy, I didn't quite hear that; my ears aren't what they use to be." The old man joked, hoping to get a smile from the lovable boy._

"_Why? Why do they hate me?" the question broke the old man's heart. No child should have to go thought what he did every day, he had to help him. Somehow._

"_They are ignorant; they don't see what a good child you are. They don't know the real you, the boy who loves ramen and wants to be a great ninja. The boy who loves and cherishes those close to him, and works hard to achieve whatever he sets his mind to. It's up to you to show them who you are, to show them you don't deserve this, and that you are better than that. That you won't sink to their level and will use what they throw at you to make you stronger. That you hold the Will of Fire in your heart, and you will never let it burn out." His words had the desired effect, gone was the dead look in his eyes and now they burned with a fire and determination to prove everyone wrong, to show them that he was Naruto Uzumaki! The boy smiled at the elderly man, who was a grandfather to him in all but blood, and gave him a fierce hug. This caused the older man to laugh and return the hug, glad to have the boy back and ready to take on the world._

"_I'll do it Old Man, I'll prove them wrong! I'll show them that I'm better than that, and I'll become strong enough to protect those who matter most to me. I promise, and I never go back on my word!" the boy said with such conviction, such passion that Sarutobi couldn't help but be proud of him._

"_Glad to hear it. How about we go to Ichiraku's to get some lunch? You'll get to see that cute waitress again…" he said with a hint of mirth in his voice, pleased when the boy turned a bright red._

"_Perverted Old Man…"_

_Flashback End_

Despite the circumstances of his visit to the hospital he remembered that day fondly. That was the day he found his purpose in life. He was enrolled into the Ninja Academy the following semester, and every day; before and during the academy, he trained. He trained from when he woke up to when he passed out.

He would start with his morning routine; wake up, pull ups, sit ups, squats, teeth and shower, then breakfast. After that he would go to the academy, where he would do a few laps followed by weapons training and taijutsu before class started. He would sit through and listen to the lectures until lunch time, where he would go to Ichiraku's for a bowl of ramen and a healthy meal. He would then go back to the academy for practical lessons. He would then go to the library for a few hours and just read. Didn't matter what, anatomy, psychology, geography, first aid, history, he read whatever he could find. A ninja must know these things. Afterwards he would go home, cook himself a meal, do his homework, then go to sleep.

It was a monotonous existence sometimes, but it had results. He wasn't the top student in his class, mostly because he didn't have a taijutsu style and he couldn't preform the clone jutsu for the life of him, but he was above most others in his class. In fact, the only boys who could boast better were Shino Aburame and Sasuke Uchiha. In a class of twenty seven, that was fairly impressive.

The original reason he was up here was because he needed to figure out the clone jutsu before tomorrow, which was graduation. It was the only area he needed to improve to pass, but no matter how hard he focused the most he got was a dead looking clone. It wasn't his fault, he did the technique right, and it just felt like he was trying to fill a glass of water in a waterfall. Have you ever tried that? You're lucky if you don't lose the glass. Of course he had told his instructors this but they had said to just try harder, but how much harder could he try? Even Iruka, his favorite instructor, who would take him out to eat some days couldn't help. It was infuriating! All that hard work, only to fail because of one jutsu! How was that fair? How was any of this fair?

He stopped that train of thought right there. Who cares if it's _fair_? It's happening, and he just has to try his hardest. He hasn't failed yet, and he would be damned if gave up because it wasn't fair! He was Naruto Uzumaki! He never gave up!

With that in mind he went to his apartment of six years to squeeze in some last minute training. He would pass, he would be a ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village, and he would protect his loved ones! And if he failed tomorrow he would find another way to pass, if one didn't exist he would make one! It was with this fire that he trained in his chakra control till it was time for him to go to bed; after all it wouldn't do to be tired on the big day would it?

/

The sunlight pierced through his shabby curtain into his bedroom, waking our slumbering blonde. It was always a slow process for him, after all how was he supposed to train if he didn't get all the sleep he can? But then he remembered what today was and sprung up, shaking the sleep from him. Going about his morning rituals, he prepared for his, hopefully, last trip to class.

Looking at his clock by his bed, he noticed with a start that he had twenty minutes to get to class before he was late. With that in mind he got his sandals on, locked his door, and raced across the rooftops to the academy. Running along power lines, rebounding off of water towers, sliding under clotheslines, he made his way there with a smile. Nothing quite beat the fun of moving at Shinobi speeds around the village. And it was efficient too, arriving at the academy with five minutes to spare. From across town, that was a new record for him.

Walking through the halls of the academy brought back memories of his years here. He remembered his classes that, while boring, were an important part of being a ninja. He remembered all the physical training, the accuracy training, and the taijutsu spars. Those last ones he never did so well in, though of no fault of his own. He was always paired up with the likes of Kiba Inuzuka or Sasuke, sometimes even Shikamaru or Choji Akimichi. All of whom have clan taijutsu styles and people to train them in them. For having no real style, the fact that he could beat them sometimes spoke to his talent and determination.

Walking into his classroom, he noticed that his normal seat in the front had been taken, glancing around he only saw three seats still available. One was next to Sasuke, one next to Shino, and one next to Hinata Hyuuga. Sitting next to Sasuke was a bad idea; the guy had a chip on his shoulder the size of the monument, not to mention his fan girls would go rabid if someone sat next to their _precious Sasuke._ Shino was an ok guy, but the last time Naruto sat next to him he saw a bug crawl from _under_ his skin. A great place to hide them, sure, but it just made his skin crawl thinking about what was crawling under Shino's skin. Hinata was a shy girl, quiet and polite. She could do for a good dose of confidence, and she seemed like doesn't want to hurt anyone; an admirable quality, but she may be in the wrong line of work.

'_What the hell, Hinata it is.'_ And with that thought he made his way up to the back of the classroom, not before shooting a glare at the guy in his seat, and calmly approached Hinata.

Hinata on the other hand was not handling the situation calmly, in fact she was fretting up a storm in her head noticing her crush approaching her. '_What do I do? He's coming this way, oh god is he going to sit next to me? I hope he sits next to me, then maybe we can talk and I can ask him out for lunch. But what do I say? What if he says no? Oh god I don't think I could take it.'_ Being so absorbed by her thoughts she never noticed the object of her worry talking to her, until he was done speaking. "I'm sorry, w-what did y-you say?" She asked with a blush on her face, from his presence or embarrassment no one knew.

"I asked is this seat taken." Naruto said with a smile, setting the poor girls heart pounding.

"N-no, please s-sit." With another smile he accepted the seat, and thought about what to say to the girl. Truth be told he really didn't know her all that well. He knows she was from a prominent clan, that she was kind, and she was, in a word, meek. Well no time like the present to learn.

"So Hinata, think that you will pass the exam?" It was an innocent question to be sure, but by the way she flinched, he would almost think that he had insulted her somehow. Truth was she wasn't confident she would pass the exam, and having to think about it, along with what failure meant, had shaken the poor girl. Noticing that she was feeling doubt, Naruto placed a hand on her shoulder; oddly making her stiffen, and with his best smile said "I do, your grades are superb; better then mine. Your taijutsu is excellent and you got the ninjutsu down. I would honestly be surprised if you didn't pass, as the top Kunoichi too."

She looked at him with a shocked look on her face; she couldn't believe he had that much confidence in her. Well if he thought that she could do it, then who was she to doubt it? With a small smile of her own she gave a nod and her thanks. Then a thought popped into her head, this was her chance! He was already touching her, and he had given her so much confidence, now would be her best shot. "H-hey, Naruto?" getting a 'Hmm?' in response she continued, "D-do y-you-u want-to g-"

"ALL YOU BRATS SETTLE DOWN AND SHUT UP!" Down in front Iruka Umino, the instructor for this class, had been trying to get their attention for the past five minutes to no avail. So resorting to a jutsu that all people who deal in children know, the Big Head Jutsu, he had to scream at the class to calm them down enough to continue. "Now that I have your attention, we shall begin with today's graduation exam. Mizuki here," at this he motioned to his collogue, a plain looking Chunnin with silver hair covered in a bandana. "Will be passing out your tests. You have one hour to complete them and remember, no cheating."

Noticing that Mizuki would take a second to get to the back row, Naruto turned to Hinata and asked "What were you about to say?" but sadly with her confidence gone all he got was a squeak and a shake of the head. Thoroughly confused he just chalked it up to being a girl thing and forgot about it. Once Mizuki got to their row, Naruto asked a question that had been bugging him. "Hey Sensei, how come you ask us not to cheat? Isn't gathering information a vital ninja skill?"

Though surprised by the question, Mizuki did have an answer for the blonde. "Well Naruto, we are currently testing what you know, not how well you can gather information. That is a more advanced skill that will be taught by your Sensei once you graduate, based on what skills he or she has. Though I'm glad you know that, please refrain from cheating today, ok?" Receiving a nod from the blonde, he handed him his test, which he attacked with a passion.

'_It's not like Iruka-sensei said we had to wait.'_ With that thought in mind he began to answer every question correctly, after all they had gone over all of these not only in the original course, but also the refresher course just last week. Twenty minute in and he was done, flipping over his paper and laying his head down for some well-deserved rest.

/

Haven been woken up by Hinata as they made their way outside, Naruto grabbed his paper and placed it on the instructors desk before heading out. Outside the academy was a dirt ring for taijutsu spars, and a set of five mannequins, for throwing weapon practice, which they were approaching now.

"Alright, as I call your names come up and take your weapons. Then take your spot and make your throws. First up Choji Akimichi." And here can the worst part about having the last name Uzumaki, being near last in roll call. Honestly, the only person after him was Ino Yamanaka. So after another fifteen minutes of waiting it was his turn to shine. Walking up and taking the weapons in hand he stared at his target. Ten meters, stationary. Eight targets in all; eyes, neck, four on the chest in between the ribs, and one over the heart. The test was out of ten points; one per target, one for throwing all of your weapons at once, and hitting with it, and one point if you could strike all the points at the same time.

Taking a deep breath and his stance he took aim and launched all his kunai and shuriken at the target, each one finding their mark, and all at the same time. He looked at his instructors with a proud smile on his face; with them returning one as well. "Well done, perfectly executed. Ten of ten points." Iruka said with a smile. Giving them a thumbs up Naruto moved on, feeling good about himself. He had trained for three months to get that down, and it paid off. Next up was the taijutsu portion of the text, in which each student would face off against Iruka, who would judge weather their fighting was passable. They were allowed to use any style they knew, which gave the clan children a huge advantage here. The non-clan children were taught a basic style that focused on form, and would allow their teachers to find a style that fit them.

Once again with Choji being first, it was back to waiting except Naruto wasn't idle this time, this time he was stretching, making sure that he got out all the kinks and limbered up before the fight. Wouldn't do to fail because of a cramp after all. Twenty minutes, and a congratulations to Hinata who managed to actually _beat_ Iruka, and Naruto was up.

Stepping into the ring Naruto took a basic, loose stance; hands raised, feet apart. Deciding to start things Naruto went in with a simple jab, witch Iruka knocked aside. Using that momentum Naruto brought up his right leg to kick Iruka in the ribs, only for the man to catch it. Expecting this Naruto twisted his body to bring his left leg up to catch Iruka on the same side he caught Naruto on in the head, only for Iruka to throw him. Twisting in midair he positioned himself to land facing his opponent and as soon as he landed, dashed towards Iruka. Going through a series of jabs and hooks, all of which were blocked, he managed to surprise his opponent by suddenly turning and landing a solid kick to his stomach. Preparing to press his advantage, he was stopped when Iruka put his hand out halting him.

"That's enough Naruto; I've seen what I need to. Your style needs work, but you have a knack for surprising your enemy, you pass. Barely." With that he ushered Naruto out of the ring to continue with Ino. He wasn't happy about it but at least he passed. He understood his taijutsu needed work, but he had no one to spar with and on one to teach him passed the academy. Oh well, once he passed his sensei could help him with that. While he was musing Ino had gone and went, and now they were heading in for the final part of the exam; the ninjutsu test. This was what he was dreading, if he didn't pass the clone jutsu then all of his hard work would be for nothing. He had to pass. He _had_ to.

Coming back in and sitting down next to Hinata again, he once again praised the girl for beating their instructor. This sadly had the result of turning her bright red and introverted towards him. Was she embarrassed? Why would she be? Beating a Chunnin was a huge deal, even if he wasn't serious. Still this left him with his thoughts, letting them wonder to what life as a ninja would be like. Rescuing princesses, defeating armies, saving countries, he could see it now; monuments built to his greatness, marriage proposals from royalty, all the while he protected his village and his precious people.

In his daydreaming, '_I really got to stop doing that,'_ he almost missed his name being called. Going into the next room where the test was being held, and passing Sasuke along the way, he stood in front of his instructors waiting for, well instructions.

"All right Naruto, preform the transformation jutsu, please choose either me or Iruka." Said Mizuki. With a nod, he made the necessary hand seal, and without saying the name of the technique, in a plume of smoke turned into a perfect replica of Iruka. Everything from the scar on his face to the way his flak jacket wasn't completely zipped up. "Excellent work, very detailed. And no announcement, very well done." Another plume of smoke revealed a smiling Naruto, loving the praise he was getting. "Now please preform the substitution jutsu. Ready?" with a nod, Iruka through an eraser at Naruto's head, only for him to be replaced with a chair that was by the wall, now replaced with Naruto leaning up against it.

"Well done. No hand signs or announcement, you must have been working real hard on your jutsu. Now you only need to perform the clone jutsu and you'll pass the exams." Said Iruka with an encouraging smile, though inside he was worried; clone jutsu was Naruto's absolute worst subject. Nothing he did could get it to come out right. He had even tried helping the boy, but to no avail. Now it was up to Naruto.

This was it. The moment of truth. Make it or break it time. This would be the moment that would decide whether he would be a ninja or not. Stealing his nerves, he made the seal, gathered his chakra and performed the jutsu.

"CLONE JUTSU!"

Once the smoke cleared, all that was present were three sickly clone, while a vast improvement, they were not passable. And with a heavy heart Naruto didn't even wait to hear that he didn't pass, already knowing it was the case. Turning around he walked out of the office, the class room, and the academy; the only one that didn't pass.

/

Naruto sat on the swing outside of the academy, watching as his classmates were greeted by their parents. He watched as they congratulated them, said how proud they were, and how they would throw celebrations in their honor. His heart ached as he saw one family hugging one another, smiling and laughing.

"Did you hear? He's the only one who didn't pass." One mother said to another, casting a sideways glance at Naruto.

The other mother replied with a sneer, "Thank goodness, can you imagine if he actually became a ninja? After all he's-"

"Shh! We're not allowed to talk about that" With one more glance they went back to congratulating their children.

Naruto gripped the rope of the swing tighter, trying not to let their words get to him. What do they know? They don't know what he goes through everyday. They don't know how hard he's worked to get this far, how much he wanted this. He gritted his teeth as the rope began to draw blood...

"Hey Naruto, how are you holding up?" Snapping his head up, he came face to face with Mizuki. "I know your upset about not passing the exam, but I've got some good news for you. There is a secret exam, one made up for those that want to be ninja, but can't pass the graduation exam for one reason or another. You would have passed if not for the clone jutsu, which I think you might not be able to perform. No, I'm not sure why, I'm here to administer the secret exam, are you interested?" Mizuki said with a smile on his face, already knowing what the boy's answer would be.

Naruto looked at Mizuki in wonder, a hidden graduation exam? He could still be a ninja? He could still be a ninja! Calming himself down before he got too excited and blew his chance, he put on the most serious face he could muster and simply nodded at his instructor.

"I figured you be. Alright, follow me so I can give you the details..." And with that the ninja and ninja in training took to the rooftops to find a more private place to discuss details. Tonight would certainly be eventful

/

Moving around at night in a ninja village is tricky. You have to not draw attention to yourself while not looking like your not trying to draw attention to yourself. Confusing for sure, and that's why most people stay in at night unless they have business. Business like breaking into one of the most secure places in the village to steal a replica of one of the villages most sacred relics.

'_This hidden exam is no joke! I have to sneak into the Hokage tower, into the old man's office, into his vault, take the scroll, and get out of the village without anyone noticing. This almost sounds Chunnin or Jonnin level. I have no idea how I'm supposed to pull this off. Oh well, no guts no glory!'_

With that he put his plan into action. Knowing that security would be tight around the tower, and breaking in would be next to impossible, Naruto settled for the direct approach. Walking into the tower toward the Hokage office, he noticed a distinct lack of security that he was use to. Normally this late at night there would be ANBU patrolling the hallways. Normally he would have been stopped and escorted to the Old Man, instead here he was, in front of the Hokage, who was asleep at his desk; probably working late. Though would he be here if he knew about the test?

_'Things aren't adding up here; no security, and the Old Man is here. No Gennin could be expected to sneak past him! Something isn't right about this. So just in case...'_ With that in mind he snatched up a pencil and paper, wrote a quick note explaining the exam, grabbed the scroll, and jumped out the window to the rendezvous point, prize in hand and head filled with doubt.

/

Reaching the meeting point, an abandoned shack in the middle of the woods, Naruto realized that he was early. If the moon was anything to go on, probably four hours early.

_'Well shit.' _ Now what was he suppose to do? Just sit around for four hours? Not his style, he could train, but what would he train? He sat down and leaned his back against the shack, only for the scroll to jab into his back. _'Stupid scroll.'_

He paused at that. This was suppose to be a replica, so there wouldn't be anything on it. But if it wasn't, he wouldn't get a chance like this again. _'Only one way to find out.'_

With that though in mind, he removed the scroll from his back and placed it on the ground. With a slightly shaking hand he grabbed the fold and gave a large pull.

_'Oh God...'_ This wasn't a replica, this was the real thing. He pulled and pulled the scroll, finding more and more forbidden jutsu.

Shadow Clone Jutsu

Impure World Resurrection

Dead Demon Consuming Seal

What had he gotten himself into? This was treason, and all he wanted to do was graduate the academy. He should return to the Hokage and explain. But it would be his word against Mizuki. The only option that he could think of would be to capture Mizuki when he comes for the scroll. But how was he suppose to beat a full-fledged Chunnin? His eyes fell to the scroll in his hands, could he? Should he? If it meant stopping a traitor and protecting his village, yes.

Now what technique in this scroll had the least likelihood of killing him?

/

Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, was going over the information he had received from his non-familial grandson. Apparently he was tasked to perform a "secret" graduation exam from his instructor Mizuki. The man had known about the Forbidden Scroll of Sealing, it's location, and how to access it. That was beyond troubling, but more so was what the information Naruto had supplied him implied. He went over the letter one more time to see if he missed anything.

"Hey Old Man, I hope you are enjoying your nap. You shouldn't work so late, you need your sleep. Anyway the reason I was in your office this late at night was I was taking the secret graduation exam for people who couldn't pass the standard one for whatever reason. Mizuki sensei told me about the replica scroll, where and how to get it, and where to take it. When I first heard what I had to do I was skeptical; this sounded way beyond what a Gennin was expected to be able to perform. But as I made my way to your office I grew suspicious. I encountered no security, none. If this was a test then there should have been some security to bypass. The real red flag was you; no ninja should be expected to hide from you, asleep or not. I may be paranoid, but paranoia will keep a ninja alive so I'm leaving this note for you. If it is a test, I guess I pass, if it's not then you need to take action, but be careful, there's no idea how far this could go."

Putting the note down, Hiruzen furrowed his brows. This was a disaster, apparently Mizuki had turned traitor and was trying to use Naruto as a scapegoat. Not only that but apparently there was trouble in his security, for the entirety of the ANBU that were suppose to be patrolling the tower to be missing meant one of three things; there was a more pressing matter to attend to, which he would have been notified of, the majority of ANBU were corrupt in some way, unlikely but not impossible, and lastly the ANBU Commander was corrupt, the most likely scenario.

That was a disturbing thought, but considering he had no way of proving it, yet, he had to act accordingly, lest he tip his hand too early. So for now he would have to call a man hunt for Naruto and the scroll. Hopefully Mizuki will slip and be caught, right now it was his word verses Naruto's word. And no one would believe a twelve year old academy failure over a Chunnin.

Getting up he channeled a small amount of chakra into the seal on his desk, causing a siren to emit from the tower. Every ninja knew that sound meant they were in a state of emergency and all ninja were to report to the tower for orders. Sure enough ninja were already appearing on and around the tower. So with a quick Body Flicker jutsu he joined his subordinates on the roof.

Many of the ninja assembled were confused and worried, the last time that siren had been used was the Uchiha Massacre, so for it to be used now something big must have happened.

Sensing the use of chakra, all ninja turned there attention to the front of the Hokage tower, where there Hokage appeared, robes billowing and face hard. He quickly scanned the assembled men and women before him, taking account of who was present and who was missing. Noticing all attention was on him he leveled all the ninja present with a hard stare, and with as much authority as he could put in his voice began giving out orders.

"Two hours ago, the Forbidden Scroll of Sealing was stolen," That got many wide eyes and a few sharp intakes of breath. "The culprit was none other than Naruto Uzumaki." That got more wide eyes and even a few growls. "It is still unclear how he managed to obtain the scroll, let alone knew of it's existence, but it imperative that we recover both the scroll and Naruto **unharmed**. Do I make myself clear?"

"**Yes sir!**" Was the resounding cry from the assembled ninja.

Giving each one a hard stare he waved his arm to the side and yelled "Dismissed!" And then he was alone on the roof, his soldiers searching for two of the villages greatest assets.

/

And hour and a half later Iruka was at his wits end, why would Naruto steal the Forbidden Scroll? Was it because he failed the graduation test? But this didn't make sense, how would he even know about that? The scroll was a Chunnin level secret, how would he even know about it? Someone must have told him, but who and why? Were they using Naruto? If so, what would happen to him when they had the scroll?

His head snapped to his left, feeling a spike of chakra about a hundred meters off. Someone was using a chakra intensive jutsu, and considering that he was on the outskirts of the village, there shouldn't be anyone out here save for the search party.

Changing his course he made his way to where he felt the chakra spike, hoping against hope that it was his young student, safe and unharmed. He landed on the edge of a clearing, in the center was an abandoned shack, and resting against said shack was the object of his search.

"Found you!" Iruka shouted as he landed in the clearing. Looking over the young blonde he could tell he has been training, the clearing and his appearance showing signs of wear.'_What could he have been training that would exhaust even him?'_ Naruto's stamina was legendary, being able to out run even him during physical training.

Looking up and not seeing the instructor he had been expecting, Naruto was a little confused. '_What is Iruka sensei doing here? Is he apart of the so called test? Or did the Old Man send him? One way to find out...'_ "Hehe, your early sensei, the test isn't over for another half hour." Naruto said with a smile, scratching the back of his head while squinting his eyes. He was doing this to cover up the fact he was scrutinizing Iruka's every move, trying to gauge his reaction.

"Test? What test? Who told you to do this Naruto?" A flash of relief rolled over Naruto, realizing that his other teacher wasn't a traitor as well. Realizing that this could work out to his advantage, he needed to keep Iruka here until Mizuki showed up.

"Mizuki sensei gave me the test. He told me about the scroll and this place. He said that if I managed to retrieve it that I would be qualified to be a ninja!" He had to keep Iruka here, if he could get Mizuki to confess in front of Iruka, then he would be able to put him behind bars.

"Naruto, there is no test like that. Come on, let's go inform Lord Hokage about this."

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that." Up in the branches with two large shuriken strapped to his back was Mizuki. "Naruto, I need you to hand me the scroll, after that you'll have graduated."

"Don't listen to him Naruto, Mizuki has turned traitor and is using you to get the scroll!" Iruka yelled, his eyes never leaving Mizuki. "Take the scroll and run!"

_'Iruka sensei...'_

"Well, it looks like you figured me out, but how did you find this place I wonder? No matter, you'll be dead soon anyway. But before I kill you both, Naruto do you want to know a secret? The reason everyone hates you?"

That caught Naruto's attention. That question has plaqued him for years, but Mizuki knew the answer? How? What could it be?

"Stop Mizuki it's forbidden!" Iruka yelled in desperation, was he really going to tell Naruto **that**?

Naruto was confused now, forbidden? Why would it be forbidden? What could be so bad that they aren't allowed to tel him? "Forbidden? What's forbidden?"

"You see Iruka and the village don't want you to know, their afraid of what you might do to them. You see twelve years ago, the Nine Tailed Fox attacked the village, and it was stopped by the Fourth Hokage. But you see, the Fourth couldn't kill the beast, it was too powerful, so instead he sealed it within a child, a child that was born on the day the fox attacked!" Naruto's heart began to sink as the pieces began to fall into place. "You see? You are the Nine Tailed Fox! You are the monster that killed so many ninja that day! You killed the Fourth Hokage! You killed Iruka's parents!"

Naruto felt sick to his stomach, he did that? Did he really kill the Fourth? Did he, oh God, did he kill Iruka's parents?

"I see your starting to remember, don't worry, you won't have to live with those memories for long. NOW DIE!" And with a mighty heave Mizuki threw the shuriken on his back, aiming to end Naruto's life.

And who was he to stop it? He closed his eyes. If he really killed all those people, he deserved to die. That's why he just sat there, waiting to die.

"NARUTO!"

Warm liquid hit his face, but he didn't feel any pain. Opening his eyes, he saw something he never wanted to see. Iruka bloody, and sticking out of his back was an oversized shuriken. Blood was leaking from his mouth and his breathing was labored. He probably had a punctured lung. But despite all that, he was smiling. "Are you OK Naruto?"

_'Iruka is hurt, maybe mortally so,and he asks if I'm alright? Why?'_

"Your probably wondering why huh? Why would I protect my parents killer? I wouldn't. You are not the demon, you are it's prison. Every day you live you protect the village from its wrath. You are not the Fox, you are Naruto Uzumaki, you are my student, and you are precious to me." At some point both men had started crying, one in sadness for the other, and one in joy at being accepted.

"This is so touching I might throw up. If that's how you feel Iruka you can die with him!" And with a roar he launched the second shuriken from his back, intending to cleave both of them in two.

So imagine his surprise when his shuriken was caught and he received a sandal to the face.

Knocked down to the forest floor, Mizuki looked up at the branch he previously occupied, only to see an enraged Naruto glaring daggers at him.

"Touch Iruka sensei again, and I'll kill you." Naruto said to the traitor, calm and cold.

But Mizuki just laughed, and why wouldn't he? An academy failure just threatened to kill him; him, a Chunnin! "Go ahead and try it demon! Whatever you throw at me I'll return it a thousand fold!" He bellowed out with a vicious smirk.

"You asked for it, time to show you my new jutsu. Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Then the entire clearing was covered in a cloud of smoke. And the more it dissipated, the more Mizuki's blood ran cold. Everywhere he looked, was blue and blonde. Over a hundred shadow clones covered the clearing, all of them ready to pound into the traitor. They began to speak in unison, filling the forest with their voice. "**What's a matter? I thought you were going return it a thousand fold? Well if your not coming to me I'm coming for you!**"

And with that the clone army charged forward, each with a battle cry, and began to pummel the former teacher, who could only scream until unconsciousness claimed him.

With their opponent soundly defeated, the clones dissipated, until only the original, Iruka, and a battered Mizuki remained.

'_Incredible, he just used a Jonin level technique!_' Iruka thought in amazement. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts he called out to the blonde. "Naruto, come here a moment."

Hearing his name being called Naruto yelled out, "One sec!" and proceeded to tie up Mizuki, making sure that he won't be going anywhere, before running over to his teacher. "What's up Iruka sensei?"

Observing how he remembered to secure the prisoner before coming over only affirmed his decision about what he was going to do. So without trying to smile too much Iruka said, "Close your eyes for a moment, I have a surprise for you."

He at first received a skeptical look, before one of acceptance, and then he closed his eyes; though not without comment. "You know something sensei, telling someone who has been training to be a ninja you have a surprise for them generally won't go over well, but I trust you."

Iruka laughed at that, the boy had a point; as ninja you were trained to hate surprises. But he had a feeling that he would enjoy this one. "True, but I think you'll like this one." Naruto then felt a weight on his head, before feeling it going snug. Having an idea of what was going on he struggled to hold back tears. "Ok, you can open your eyes now." As he did he noticed a feature missing from Iruka, namely his headband. Putting two and two together he touched HIS new headband tenderly, like it would disappear if he was too rough. "Congratulations, Gennin Naruto. And to celebrate, after we report in, I'll take you to Ichiraku's for some ramen, how's that sound?"

If Iruka hadn't been a ninja, he would have lost his footing as Naruto tackled him in a hug, crying into his vest. He couldn't blame the kid, he'd been through a lot. Learning that the beast that nearly destroyed the village was sealed in you, and that was the reason he was ostracized, handling a teacher turned traitor, and accomplishing your life's goal all in one night was quite a lot to take in.

"Ow, ow, ow!"

Now if only he hadn't hugged so hard.

/

That's it for chapter one. Was going to keep going but don't want to set an unreasonable expectation of my chapter length. Please review with what you think, feedback is always welcome, and I will respond to you if I can, and without reveling too much. Thanks to my friends who read over this for me before I posted this. Hope you enjoyed the show.

This is Killer Words, signing off.


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